Ten industry old-timers have clubbed together to create a new massively multiplayer online game development company--named Colony Studios--based in Reno, Nevada.
Between them, the staff working for Colony Studios has contributed to a range of popular MMOGs, including World of Warcraft, City of Heroes, Dark Age of Camelot, Lord of the Rings Online, and Ultima Online. Michael Wallis, a game industry veteran of 17 years who worked on games including EVE Online and The Fallen, will be heading up the team as CEO and cofounder.
The company describes its first project as, "A unique, space-based sci-fi MMOG that will contain immersive gameplay mechanics, innovative design, and truly unique content. It will captivate players, create social ties, and push the genre itself."
Wallis comments, "The bottom line is we've launched MMOGs before, and our experience lets us anticipate bumps in the road and steer clear of them. The fact that we've been through it before means things are much less likely to fall through the cracks."
The as-yet-unnamed MMOG is scheduled for a 2009 release.